Note: During its operational
life the radar station at Holmpton was known as both RAF Patrington
and RAF Holmpton, the name changing on several occasions. For the
purpose of this report we have used the name Holmpton throughout to
differentiate it from the earlier site at Patrington.

A
number of 'hot links' (underlined blue) appear in the text. Clicking
on these links will take you to an explanation of the term or further
photographs. All 'small' pictures can be enlarged by clicking on the
picture.

Radar first appeared on the Holderness
coast with the arrival of a mobile CHL (Chain
Home Low) at Out Newton (the site is now currently in the North
Sea due to coastal erosion).

This mobile radar was transferred to a permanent CHL site at Dimlington
(now within the gas terminal perimeter). Later, a CHEL (Chain
Home Extra Low), was sited at nearby Easington; both of these
radars were part of the early warning Chain Home extension.

The first Ground Control radar in the area was a mobile GCI (Code No.
09G) located at Hampston Hill, just outside Beverley after June 1941.
Hampston Hill was part of 13 Group Fighter Command at Kenton Bar and
was in Church Fenton Fighter Sector with adjoining sectors at Catterick
and Kirton Lindsey. This progressed to an AMES Type 8C intermediate/transportable
and was planned to be upgraded to be a GCI Type
7.

However this was abandoned in favour
of a better location at Sunk Island just outside Patrington village.
Here an AMES Type 8C intermediate/transportable
was installed until the final Type
7 GCI was completed alongside it dubbed a 'Happidrome' this
large brick built control centre contained integral machine and
plant rooms along with a stepped (auditorium) operations room with
an adjacent standby set house and was operational by February 1943
retaining the code No. 09G.

In 1947, the Happidrome was extended and took on the role of Northern
SOC (Sector Operations Centre) until the purpose built Northern SOC
opened at Shipton in 1953. From the end of WW2 until 1947 the new Sector
was made up of two Sectors, Yorkshire Sector at Church Fenton and Newcastle
Sector at the old WW2 13
Group Ops. Room at Kenton Bar.

However, by the late 40's, plans were well advanced for a new national
radar system and as Patrington was designated as one of the new sites,
work had already commenced on building a large domestic camp at Patrington
Haven just half a mile from the Happidrome operations building.

The camp was later to expand into a major site able to accommodate
up to 350 personnel. It was supported by a canteen, medical centre,
chapel, cinema and timber hutted accommodation for the single staff
with brick build housing for the married quarters, officers and commanding
officer.

By this time a stationing at Patrington had become a sought after posting
as the camp was one of the first to be fully installed with central
heating to all the huts and buildings. The heating was run underground
at the site from a central boiler house, unlike the majority of such
camps where the heating pipes were run above the surface on supports
with heavily insulated pipe work. (RAF Sopley is a good example of this
surface pipe work).

1951 saw a start made on the new technical site at Holmpton just three
miles from Patrington and although initially planned as a new GCI station,
it was very quickly to incorporate other radars.

The original plan had been to build a small underground R2 facility
(bunker) at Easington on the site of the former coastal radar providing
a new CHEL; this would in turn report to a new GCI Station at Sunk Island
housed in an R3 (bunker) on the site of the former Happidrome.

However, after land surveys were carried out the cliff top at Easington
was considered too fragile to support a new bunker and the site at Sunk
Island was too wet to permit such an excavation. (The name Sunk Island
should have alerted the surveyors).

Plans were then revised and after additional consideration was given
to the escalating cost, the decision was made to combine both the proposed
installations at Holmpton, located exactly three miles between Easington
and Sunk Island. The advantage of the Holmpton site was its being some
85ft above sea level, very dry, and providing a high vantage point over
all the surrounding countryside.

Cutaway
drawing of an R3 underground GCI technical building
Drawn by Jason Blackiston

Work started at Holmpton in 1952 although the first surveys had been
undertaken in 1951. The construction involved digging a massive hole
in the ground, in this case exactly 100ft and then layering it with
a 20ft shale infill for the foundations bed.

On top of this 10ft of concrete on a pitch and brick lining to
form the lower outer shell of the bunker. The outer shell was
also reinforced with 1inch thick tungsten rods spaced about 2ft
apart with an additional steel mesh framework.

On top of this the bunker was provided with two floors accounting
for an internal height of 22ft. Above this a steel shuttered fabrication
to form the ceiling and then the outer shell of 10ft of concrete.
Finally a brick and pitch outer lining covered with the earth
infill to the surface.

Construction took about 18 months with the site undergoing testing
during late 1953, becoming fully operational in 1954.

The new technical site was an integral part of the 'ROTOR' Radar
programme and started life as a combined GCI and CHEL station
therefore replacing the functions of the old sites at Out Newton
and Sunk Island.

Holmpton was equipped with a Type 54
CHEL radar mounted on top of a 200ft tower and various height
finder radars. The main control radar was remotely located about
a mile from Holmpton at Hollym and this comprised a Remote
Type 7 Mk IV radar along with its small underground machine
room, a Type 79 IFF Mk 10 and sub station.

The remaining radars were all located on the technical site in
close proximity to the 'R3' technical block.

The principal GCI radar, the Type 7 was also normally on the technical
site but exceptionally, due to local conditions had to be sited remotely;
up to 2000 yards from the technical site. These Type 7 Mk IV's, when
sited remotely, required a Type 79 IFF facility to be co-located.